Gill-drawing frame



Nov, A9, 17937. w. HoLDswoRTH GILL-DRAWING FRAME 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed April 27, 1956l Patented Nov.Y 9, 1937 UNITED STATES GILL-DRAWING FRAME Willie Holdsworth, Seekonk, Mass.`

Application April 27, 1936, Serial No. 76,549

10. Claims.

rIhis invention relates to improvements in gillboxes or gill-drawing frames and particularly to automatically-operated means for continuously cleaning the faller-pins during the operation ofV the machine without removal of the fallers therefrom.

A principal object of the invention is to pro'- videV meansy in the gill-box or gill-drawing frame for preventing the accumulation of fibers on, and clogging of, the teeth of the fallers whereby to obviate the necessity for stopping the machineV and removing the faller-bars for cleaning, thus' avoiding periodic interruptions in the operation of the machine which reduce its productive capacity.

Another object of the invention is to provide means in the gill-box or gill-drawing frame for automatically cleaning the faller-pins and re,- covering the fibers deposited thereon to prevent waste of the material being gilled.

Another object of the invention is to provide automatically-operated means for cleaning the faller-pins to prevent them from clogging to cause bending or breaking of the pins.

Another object of the invention is to provide automatically-operated means which act to wipe against the pins as the fallers are .transferred from one pair of their traverse-screws to'the other pair to remove the accumulation of fibers therefrom after each workingstroke of the fallers.

Another object of the invention is to provide wiper means of the type indicated which act automatically to clean the faller-pins and carry the fibers back into the feeding sliver.

Another object of the invention is to provide automatically-operated means of the type indicated which also act to clean the surfaces ofthe drawing rolls of the machine to remove any accumulation of fibers therefrom. v

Further objects of the improvement are set forth in the following specication which describes a preferred form of construction of the invention, by way of example, as illustrated by the accompanying drawings. In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view illustrating the essential elements of an intersecting gill-box with the fallers shown in section andthe present invention applied to use therewith;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of the same at the forward or delivery end of the gill-box showing the fallers in a different relationship during their transfer between the traverse-screws and illustrating the marmer in which the present improved means operates automatically to' wipe against the teeth or pins on the fallers and also against the drawing rolls;

Fig. 3 is a similar fragmentary view showing the faller-bars in a still different position during their transfer;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a faller-bar show- Y ing the present improved flexible wiper o r cleaner element applied thereto;` and Fig. 5 is a detail View of a number offallerbarsY showing` the manner inA which the flexible strips or wipersA are folded between the fallers during the operative stroke o f the latter.

As is well known to those, versed in the art, considerable trouble. is experienced in the operation of gill-boxes or gill-drawing frames due to the fibers of textile material collecting on the pins of thefallers and becoming entangled therewith to clog the teeth, Usually it is necessary to stopthe machines atleast once in every run of eight hours to remove the faller-bars for cleaning their teethV and this operation requires about forty-ve, minutes so that it entails a serious loss in the production of the machine. Moreover, the fibers collected on the pins of the fallers cannot be readily salvaged and a. considerable waste of material is therefore involved;

The present invention contemplates the provision of a novel yet simple means for continuously wiping the pins or teeth of the faller-bars to clean them while at the s ame time collecting the loose fibers and returning them to the sliver or other material being' treated to recover what is ordinarily waste. The improved'deviceconsists essentially of a wiper strip of exi'ble or elastic material, such as synthetic rubber, which is applied to each faller-bar. The strips are normally folded between the sides of adjacent faller-barsl during the working stroke o f the. latter, but as each bar approaches the end of its operative stroke the wiper strip springs into action to wipe against the teeth of the next forward faller-bar being transferred from one setw of 'traverse-screws to the other. In this way the wipers act ina manner similar to that of the familiar windshield-wiper to thoroughly cleank the faller-teeth. This action is such that the fibers on the teeth of the bar being transferred are wiped toward the points of the teeth and transferred back into the sliver being treated. At the same time ,the wiper on the faller being transferred is caused to wipe the drawing rolls arranged in advance of the Y chanical operating means other than whatV is normally a part of the machine. Y

Referring to the present drawings, which are merely illustrative, Fig. l shows two sets of fallerbars and their traverse-screws at one side of the machine as employed in gill-boxesrof the socalled intersecting type. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention is adapted for use lwith openf gill-boxes employing only one set of fallers. yIn the present drawings the two parallel faller-screws 2 andr 3 are illustrated as employed for traversing the fallers 4 and 5 during their working stroke in the direction indicated by the arrow a. The faller-bars 4 and 5 are arranged in opposite series with their teeth Y or pins 6 intersecting, that is with/theY teeth on each bar projecting toward an opposite bar and through the sliver or material, indicated at M; as it is fed between the fallers by the topV and bottom drawing rolls IIJ and II. The drawing rolls I and II may be of any suitable character, preferably having their peripheries Iluted and one of the rolls, the bottom one as herein shown, usualy carries an endless belt or apron I2 which provides a cushioning element between the peripheri'es of the rolls.

' The traverse-screws 2 and 3 are j-ournaled at one end in anfupright bearing I3, and projecting Y o. Youtwardly `therebeyond carry intermeshing spurgears I4 and I 5 suitably keyed thereto. Above the traverse-screw 2 is another screw I 6 arranged in parallelism therewith and adapted to traverse the fallers 4 rearwardlyto return them into posif tion to again be engaged with the threads of the screw 2. In similar arrangement below the screw 5 is a screw I'I for traversing the fallers 5 through their return stroke whereof they may be transferredV back intoY engagement with the screw 3. The return screw I6 is journaled in the bearing I3 and carries a gear I8 at its end meshing with" the gear I4 for connecting the screws 2 and I6 to rotate in synchronism. Y Likewise, 4the V'return screw Il carries a gear I9 meshing with'the gear I5 to drive the screw I1 in synchronism with the screw 3. The train of gears last described are driven from suitable gearing incorporated in the gill-drawing frame, the driving means being of usual arrangement and therefore not herein shown or described in detail. r'I'he fallers 4 slide on horizontally extending saddles during their workingV stroke in the threads of the screw 2 and on upper saddles 2I during their return stroke in the threads of the screw I6, while' the fallers 5 slide on saddles 22 during their working stroke and on saddles 23 during their return stroke; it being here noted that the fallers are guided in their vertical movement of transfer between the respective screws by suitable conductors of usual construction, these parts not being illustrated in the present drawings to avoid obscuring the showing of the other parts. It will be understood,

Yof course, that the system of traverse-screws,

- The usual cams 25 are provided on the forward ends of the traverse-screws 2 and 3 for transferring the fallers therefrom to the return screws I6 and I'l, and the rearward ends of the return screws carry cams 26 for transferring the bars back into the screws 2 and 3 after their return stroke. Cams of this type are shown and described in my prior S. Letters Patent No.-

1,8'76,936, dated September 13, 1932, and are` the faller by impaling its marginal portion on the teeth or pins 6. The ialler itself may be of any suitable form and, as herein shown, it comprises a central relatively-narrow bridge portion 32 terminating in vwider ends 33 properly formed to engage the grooves of the threads in the traversescrews. Projecting from the upper edge of the central portion of the faller are the teeth or pins 6 which are of usual pointed form arranged in closely spaced relationship.

The wiper 30 may be constructed of any suitable material and for this purpose I have found that synthetic rubber best answers the requirements since it retains its inherent resiliency indefinitely and is also resistant to the action vof oil. This latter characteristic is important in that ordinary rubber deteriorates quickly from contact with oil,'whereas the synthetic material referred to is not deleteriously affected by the oil from the machine or the grease in theA wool being treated, In other words, it hasbeen demonstrated thaty synthetic rubber will retain'its essential characteristics for long periods, thus being especially durable for the' present use.

The wiper strip 33 may be cut from sheetV material or produced by any other convenient method, and preferably it is formed with a thickened edge or rounded bead 3l extending along its margin. The bead 3I provides reinforcement for the edge of the ystrip impaled on the pins or teeth 6 and also tends to increase the frictional grip of the material on the. vpins so that the marginal portion of the wiperrwill retain its lposition flat against thev top of the faller-bar. The wiper 3D constitutes the sole essential element of the present invention, its construction and arrangement being such that it operates automatically to clean the faller-teeth-in a simple but efficacious manner as neXt'eXplained.

Referring first to Fig. l of the drawings, as the fallers 5 of the bottom row are traversed to the left by the screws II during their return stroke slight angle with their free edges bearing against the sides of adjacent fallers. As each faller 5 reaches the end of its return stroke it is raised by theV lifter-cams 25 to carry it into engagement with'the threads ofthe upper screws 3. VAs the faller 5 is elevated into position adjacent a faller previously transferred to the upper screws 3 the wiper 30 contacts with the under edge of the central portion 32 of this latter faller in the manner illustrated in Fig. 5 to fold the stripv down into position between the two adjacent fallers; it being understood that the faller `that has previously been elevated will have commenced its forward movement in its working stroke alongV the saddles 22 sol that it is carried away from the Athe wipers 30 project laterally therefrom at a f faller vbeing transferred to open a space therebetween as shown in Fig. l. In this way, as each during the working stroke of the fallers the wipers lill the spaces between their sides, thus tending to prevent the textile bers from dropping down through these spaces onto the floor to become waste.

As each faller reaches the end of its forward stroke it rides off from the end of the saddles 22 and is carried downwardly by the cams 25 at the end of the screws 3. As the descending faller 5 passes downwardly beyond the free edge of the wiper 3G on the next succeeding faller this wiper is released as indicated in Fig. 3 and springs forwardly against the teeth or pins 6 of the descending faller. As the faller being transferred continues its descent the wiper 30 on the next following faller will wipe the full length of its teeth 6 to remove any fibers which may have collected on or between the teeth. As the wiping edge of the strip 30 clears the points of theV teeth 6 it springs outwardly as indicated by the dash lines in Fig. 2 and its edge then wipes across the endless belt or apron I2 to clean its surface while collecting all of the loose bers along its length. Finally as the wiper 30 is carried up into the position illustrated in Fig. 2 it returns the collection of fibers it has gathered to the sliver M to be taken up thereby and fed through the machine. Thus, as each faller 5 is transferred downwardly into engagement with the bottom screws l1 its teeth are cleaned-by the Wiper 30 on the next succeeding faller and in this Way the teeth on each faller are wiped and cleaned after every working stroke.

The method of operation of the device as last explained applies to the use of the present invention in an open type gill-box and the action of the wipers on the upper set of fallers 4 used in intersecting gill-boxes is the same in substantially every respect. That is to say, as each faller 4 is lifted out of the threads of the traversescrews 2 to transfer it into the threads of the screws I5 its teeth are wiped and cleaned by the wiper 3G on the next following faller; and as the fallers are transferred from the threads of the screws I down into the threads of the screws 2 again after their return stroke the wipers 30 are folded against their sides and maintained in this position between the faller-bars until they are released at the forward end of the stroke of the fallers. As the wipers 3i] on the upper set of fallers 4 are released they Vspring vdownwardly and wipe across the surface of the top roll I0 to brush olf the fibers in the manner indicated by the dash lines in Fig. 3 to carry them down onto the strip of sliver M. 'I'he wipers thus act continuously throughout the whole operation of the machine to both clean the faller-teeth and the roll surfaces without any attention on the part of the operator. In this way the necessity for stopping the machine to remove the fallers for cleaning is entirely obviated and thus its productive capacity is increased. Moreover, all danger of bending or breaking the faller-pins is removed since the fibers are not allowed to collect thereon to clog their action due to carelessness or inattention on the part of the operators. Y

It will be observed from the foregoing that the present invention provides an extremely simple yet eicient means for cleaning the teeth of the fallers during the continuous operation of the latter in the gill-box. As before stated, the improved device may be applied to practically all types of gill-drawing frames to increase the productive capacity thereof by eliminating stoppages for cleaning the faller-teeth; to prevent damage to the fallers by clogging of the teeth; and nally to recover the waste ordinarily caused by entanglement of the fibers with the teeth or dropped between the faller-bars. Y

While the improved device is herein shown and Y described as embodied in a preferred formV of*Y construction, it is to be understood that various,

modifications may be made in the structure and arrangement of its parts without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, Without limiting myself in this respect, I claim:

1. In a device for cleaning the faller-teeth in gill-drawing frames, flexible means projecting laterally from the faller-bars and adapted to wipe along the teeth of adjacent bars during the movement of the fallers in the machine.

2. In a device of the type indicated, cleaning means for the faller-teeth of gill-drawing frames comprising a iiexible element projecting laterally from the side of the faller-bar to adapt it to wipe along the teeth on an adjacent bar as the latter is moved vertically past the first bar.

3. Means for cleaning the faller-teeth of gilldrawing frames comprising a strip of resilientV material fastened to the top of each faller-bar to project laterally therefrom to cause it to Wipe along the teeth of an adjacent bar as the latter is transferred between the traverse-screws of the machine.

4. A faller-bar having projecting pins and a flexible strip of elastic material secured to the bar to project laterally a substantial distance beyond ther side thereof and adapted to wipe along the teeth of an adjacent faller-bar when operating therewith in a machine.

5. A faller-bar having projecting pins and a iiexible strip of elastic material impaled on the pins to secure it in angular relation to the teeth on the bar said strip projecting laterally a Vsubstantial distance beyond the side of the bar and adapted to wipe along the teeth of an adjacent bar when operating therewith in a machine.

6. A feller-bar having teeth projecting from its edge and a flexible strip of elastic material impaled on the teeth to secure it against the edge of the bar in angular relation to the side thereof, said strip extending laterally beyond the side of the bar to engage the teeth of an adjacent barA flexible strip of synthetic rubber fastened to the bar and projecting angularly a substantial distance beyond its side and adapted to wipe along the teeth of an adjacent bar when operating therewith in a machine.

8. A faller-bar having projecting pins and a flexible strip of resilient material formed with a thickened marginal portion impaled on the pins to attach the stripV to the bar, said strip projecting laterally a substantial distance beyond the side of the bar to engage the teeth of an adjacent bar during operation of the bars in a machine.

9. A faller-bar having projecting teeth and a flexible strip of resilient material formed with a beaded marginal portion impaled on the teeth to frictionally attach the strip to the bar, said strip extending laterally beyond the side of the bar to engage the teeth of an adjacent bar during operation of the bars in a machine.

10. In a gill-drawing frame, the combination of traveling fallers, drawing rolls for feeding the material to be treated through the machine, and means on the fallers for wiping the surfaces of the drawing rolls to clean loose fibers of the material therefrom.

WJLLIE HoLDsWoRTH, 

